Despite being replaced by the v1.10 last month, it’s been interesting to see how many players have opted not to ‘upgrade’ just yet.

The v1.08 was a great success for PUMA, responsible for 65 goals in the Premier League last season on the feet of players like John Carew, Peter Crouch and golden boot winner Nicolas Anelka. Even Ashley Cole famously converted from adidas though he’s since moved on to Nike.

So what was it that made the v1.08 so special? This week, I’m looking at the K-leather incarnation, immediately after testing the v1.10 to see if I can see why certain players are sticking with their now-outdated models.

Comfort/Fit

I’ve used the v1.08 countless times as an example of a boot that isn’t instantly ‘wearable’ – and I’m not about to do a u-turn on it for this review. Whilst the K-Leather version shows a definite improvement in the comfort of the upper, the heel does rub on the first few wears. If you’re planning on picking up a pair, make sure you follow all the advice you can get on wearing them in at this time of year, as the rain will only make the damage done to your heel even worse.

Another issue I had with the boot is the length of the studs on the SG model. PUMA have clearly looked to combine their knowledge of the running track with that of the classic 6-stud football boot, as these studs are like a hybrid of a running spike and a screw-in metal stud. If you’re not playing on really soft turf, you’re likely not to have the boot ‘sink in’ fully, as the studs are just that big.

All this means that if you’re not fully embedded in the turf, you can feel the boot flexing and bowing under your feet – it’s an odd sensation, and I didn’t feel like the boot was supporting me properly, which is exactly the opposite of what you want when you’re playing on soft ground.

One the upside; I do love what the rest of the boot has to offer. After the initial breaking in period, the heel holds your foot in place really well – which is massively impressive on a boot with such a low profile. Also, whilst the upper might not be what you’d expect from K-leather (it’s thinner, smoother and a bit more ‘papery’) it’s a snug fit to your foot, and provides a ‘grippy’ surface for contact with the ball.

Durability

The v1.08 is a boot that has gained no end of durability in its switch to a full leather upper. Firstly, all that synthetic material that weaves its way across the canvas upper of the standard v1.08 has been replaced with a single consistant piece of K-leather.

Having tested these boots across October and the start of November I can vouch that these boots are consistently waterproof, even on some of the most quagmire-like pitches across Yorkshire. In addition to the this, there’s no discernible points of potential weakness across the boot.

Stitching has been kept to a minimum, and even when PUMA have deemed it necessary, the seams are often hidden in the folds of the boot - for example, the stitching down one side of the PUMA ‘Cat’ is nigh-on invisible.

Feel

When it comes to contact with the ball, PUMA have done an excellent job with the lacing of the boot. The side offset lacing pulls the upper snug onto the top of your foot, which leaves an unparalleled area for getting your foot around a ball. With no gimmicks for more power or swerve the taught leather means this area is tailor-made if, like me, you like to really get your forefoot through a ball when crossing or taking a free kick.

The toe end of the boot is a little unusual. Personally, I found that the front end of the K-leather edition is a little too ‘roomy’. Considering that the boot is such a tight fit everywhere else it just seems a little odd that there’s so much room in this area of the boot. I didn’t mind it too much as I don’t tend to strike the ball with the tops of my toes too often, but I imagine that anyone who does might find it a little more difficult to get a proper contact.

Adding to this, the looser fit around the toe end makes playing the ball off the outside of the foot a little bit trickier, as the foot isn’t as close to the ball.

Dribbling with the ball is fantastic in the v1.08, their slightly ’scooped’ shape is perfect for close control, helping give you the truest possible touch when raiding on and knocking the ball forward with the top of your foot. As I mentioned before, the tight leather upper is awesome for receiving passes and taking the sting out of driven crosses. One complaint would, again, be the studs. Being so big and cumbersome you can’t really ‘roll’ your foot over the top of the ball. So if you like changing lanes and pulling the ball under your feet - you might find it a little more difficult in the SG model.

Conclusion

The v1.08 K-leather is a boot that does an enormous amount right. The leather upper, whilst not being ‘traditional’ K-leather, works fantastically - waterproofing the teabag-like v1.08 for the winter season and bending and twisting with the boot. The lightweight construction and glove-like upper is exactly the sort of characteristics you might expect for a boot prefered by wingers and strikers.

Much like the Mizuno Wave Shinken II, I’ll happily recommend this boot for anyone that’s perhaps tried a ’speed’ boot like Vapor V, or indeed the new v1.10 and found them a little too tight around the toes.

My real flaw with the v1.08’s is undoubtedly the massive studs - I think they’re a little bit intrusive when controlling or dribbling the ball with the underside of the boot, and when you’re standing still you can notice them ‘bowing’ in the centre of the boot.

But credit to PUMA, as the only issue I have is with the SG version. You shouldn’t have any such worries if you’re in a sunnier part of the world at the moment, or ply your trade on artificial turf. There will almost certainly be a price drop coming soon to the v1.08, so if you want a nearly weightless attackers boot that’s a little different (or a bit wider if you’ve got big feet) then you’ll definitely find something for your game in these boots.

It’s never easy asking people to predict how new products will perform in the future but that didn’t stop nearly 2000 of you registering a vote in the latest Footy Boots debate.

Asked which of the latest football boots from adidas, Nike and PUMA would have the biggest impact, both immediately and in the long term, the result was incredibly close with the adidas Predator_X just edging out the Nike CTR360.

In the end, the Predator_X received 48% of the vote, the CTR 45% with the v1.10 from PUMA coming in with 7%.

Short term, it could be argued that in fact, the CTR360 has made the biggest impact what with goals and assists from the likes of Fabregas and Aguero but it should also be remembered that it was released a month before the new adidas model.

Against that, there are still a number of players yet to debut the Predator_X such as Steven Gerrard and possibly a few more who may make the switch from their current boots.

The name most closely linked to such a move is Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema who is rumoured to be swapping over to the latest adidas boot from his trusty adiPure II’s.

Similarly, to be absolutely fair to the v1.10, it is by design a speed boot and therefore will appeal to a niche market, hence it’s lower rating.

In any event, having tested all 3 new boots (Predator_X, CTR360 and v1.10) Footy Boots can report that they all perform in their own unique way and it’s unlikely that anyone will disappointed after purchasing them. As for performance on professional pitches across the world, it could be argued that the jury is still out.

This season’s Champions League is turning out to be one of the best ever. Unfancied teams are beating or holding the big guns, a number of past winners are struggling and some new names have cropped up to give the tournament a much needed breath of fresh air.

So, as the competition starts to hot up, we’re giving you the chance to pick the best XI from all of the current squads.

Based on Matchday Four, Footy Boots editor Andy Kay has complied our fantasy side and to say it’s controversial is putting it mildly.

Players from Rubin Kazan and CSKA are in while plenty of big names such as Lampard, Essien, Rooney, Benzema, Pato, Hulk and Ronaldinho are not.

Do you agree with his selections or has he got it wildly wrong? And if so, what would be your best XI? Let us know by commenting below.

Goalkeeper

Victor Valdes – Barcelona

It can’t have been easy for the Spanish stopper, standing around watching his team mates in temperatures of around -7c. But the mark of a good goalkeeper is being able to pull out all the stops after long periods of inactivity. Valdes more than did this with a number of crucial saves which allowed his side to take a vital point from the game.

Victor Valdes wears Nike Tiempo Air Legend II football boots.

Defenders

Cesar Navas – Rubin Kazam

Like Valdes, Navas was another Spaniard to shine on a freezing cold night in Russia. The Rubin Kazam defender had to be on his game throughout as Barcelona mounted attack after attack. It’s been a good competition so far for Navas who, but for a foot injury, could have been playing with English Championship side Ipswich Town this season! Who said metatarsal injuries were always a bad thing?

Cesar Navas wears adidas adiPure II football boots.

Hilton - Marseille

The Brazilian didn’t have too much to do at the back as FC Zurich were a bit powder-puff but a central defender who scores goals is worth his weight in gold. Hilton did just that as the French team moved to within a point behind AC Milan and Real Madrid.

Hilton wears adidas Predator X football boots.

Ashley Cole - Chelsea

It wasn’t an entirely comfortable night for the Londoners in Spain but Cole put in another solid display at left back. He was blameless for the host’s two goals and did little to damage his reputation as one of the best left backs in the world. The simple fact is that Cole is capable of performing live week in, week out. Unlike his Mrs!

Ashley Cole wears Nike CTR360 football boots.

Dario Dainelli - Fiorentina

The Fiorentina captain was relatively solid at the back but gets the nod (excuse the upcoming pun) because of his incredibly brave header which gave the Viola a 2 – 1 lead which they eventually turned in to a 5 – 2 win. Despite getting a face full of the Debrecen goalkeeper’s fist, Dainelli still managed to guide his header in to the net as the home team went second in Group E, a point behind Lyon but more importantly, 5 in front of third placed Liverpool.

Dario Dainelli wears Bikkembergs Tirosegno football boots.

Midfield

Cesc Fabregas – Arsenal

Is there nothing this man can’t do at the moment? Fabregas is in the form of his life and he prompted his Arsenal side to a convincing 4 – 1 win over AZ Alkmaar at the Emirates Stadium which puts the English team on the brink of qualification. Not only that but he’s scoring goals for fun lately and added a couple more in this game. Just brilliant.

Cesc Fabregas wears Nike CTR360 football boots.

Kaka - Real Madrid

Kaka pulled all the strings as he return to his former club, a sure sign of his commanding display was how quickly his warm reception turned to jeers as Madrid dominated the early proceedings. And it was from Kaka’s shot that Madrid were to take the lead as Benzema knocked in the parry from Dida. Just the kind of performance required by the Spaniards on what could have been a difficult night at the San Siro.

Kaka wears adidas adiPure II football boots.

Milos Krasic - CSKA Moscow

He may also be in the running for worst haircut of the week, but the Serbian international more than showed off his footballing credentials against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Any thoughts that Krasic and his CSKA team mates were going to be overawed were laid to rest as they raced in to a 3 – 1 lead, Krasic scoring one of the goals. Although United pegged them back to 3 – 3, Krasic will have enjoyed his 25th birthday.

Milos Krasic wears PUMA v1.06 football boots.

Yoann Gourcuff - Bordeaux

As boos rang around the Allianz Arena, Bordeaux playmaker Yoann Gourcuff and his team mates walked off the pitch safe in the knowledge that they had booked a place in the last 16 whilst also leaving Bayern Munich four points off send place in Group A. Gourcuff scored his side’s opening goal, could have had another and ran a tight ship in midfield when the German’s looked to get forward. Another good night’s work by the current French player of the year.

Yoann Gourcuff wears adidas adiPure II football boots.

Forwards

Sergio Aguero - Atletico Madrid

You won’t see two better strikes from one player in a game for a long time. The second half substitute rammed home a superb volley to give Atletico Madrid the lead against Chelsea then stepped up to plant a late free kick past the despairing Petr Cech to earn the home team a 2 – 2 draw. That’s what you call making an impact from the bench and the volley was worth the entrance money alone.

Sergio Aguero wears Nike CTR360 football boots.

Didier Drogba - Chelsea

Mind you, Aguero didn’t have it all his own way at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. Didier Drogba marked his return to European action with two goals of his own. The first, a pretty routine header and the second, a fantastic solo effort that perfectly demonstrated his pace and power. Will need to keep it up if Chelsea are to go all the way this year. Much more helpful to his team when standing up as opposed to writhing around on the deck for no apparent reason.

Didier Drogba wears Nike Vapor Superfly football boots.

The last month has seen three of the biggest names in football boot manufacturing bring out a signature product.

At the end of September, PUMA came up with the first new boot of the current football season with the highly visible, and so we’ve learnt since, very impressive v1.10.

A week later and Nike added to their current collection with a brand new boot, the CTR360. What followed was one of the most impressive debuts ever of a new football boot as CTR ambassador Cesc Fabregas ran the show against Blackburn at the Emirates, setting up four goals and scoring one himself.

And this weekend, following their launch on Monday, the top names in the adidas stable will showcase the new Predator_X in the English Premier League and beyond.

At Footy Boots, we’ve been lucky enough to road test all 3 boots (v1.10, Predator_X, CTR360) and we can assure you that all of them perform.

Sure, there are a couple of design features on each of them that might grate but in the main, they each do what they say on the tin, even if some of us might question a few aesthetic aspects across the range.

So, that leads us on to today’s poll which is this:

Which brand’s new footwear will have the biggest impact on the game in the immediate and long term future?

Of course, it might be too early to tell. adidas haven’t even got their boots seen on a pitch as yet and each boot has been tailored to a different market be it speed, control, power etc. But with such a high source of knowledge, expertise and opinion available to us through Footy Boots readers, it’s a question we’re going to pose anyway!

Make your selection below and then qualify your argument by commenting below.

And ensure you come back to Footy Boots on Monday morning as we’ll be reporting on which players turned out in the new Predator_X and which colourway they chose.

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The PUMA v1.10 is a boot that knows how to make an entrance. After making it’s bow in a startling yellow colourway exactly a month ago it’s still a point of contention everywhere.

From the Premier League - where Nicolas Anelka has been on blistering form in the v1.10 but Peter Crouch is yet to make the switch from the .08’s; to the Footy Boots community - where comments range from ’sickest cleat ever’ to ‘what were PUMA thinking?.

So which is it? Well, lets put it like this. Every new boot has two major talking points. What it looks like and how it performs. We gave the v1.10 a hard time on the former but fair’s fair. On the latter, this is a serious contender.

Comfort/Fit

After the ankle destroying endurance tests that were synonymous with wearing the v1.06 and v1.08 for the first time, I was wary of giving the v1.10 a run-out on a Sunday match with the boots only arriving on the Saturday. But wear them I did, and I was massively impressed. PUMA have finally started to get the fit right on their premier product.

For starters, whilst it doesn’t look like much of a change on first glance, the toe area has been reduced dramatically. Rather than the ‘too-roomy’ front end of the v1.08, the v1.10 has slimmed this area, down making a much welcome nod to the toe of the v1.06.

The heel has also had a revamp; PUMA’s ‘uni’ system seems to be following the trend that many boots have started taking- providing a snug fit that reduces friction by reducing the movement of the heel itself.

Durability

PUMA have taken some big gambles from a design standpoint on the v1.10. Whereas Nike and Lotto have favoured single-piece construction recently; PUMA have gone for a radical approach, with multiple components interacting to make the boot what it is.

Firstly, the v1.10 is one of the few boots to feature 2 materials in its upper. The toes and lace cover are made from a lightweight synthetic material (that bears very little similarity to leather, despite the product description claiming it to be synthetic leather). The closest comparison I can think of is the earliest model of the adidas F50 TUNiT, with a frictionless feel and thick cut to cover the laces.

The positioning of the new synthetic works surprisingly well with the other material in the upper, the v1 series trademark micro-fibre canvas. Whilst the canvas has always been tough to rip from contact with studs and blades, I’ve always had an issue with the material rubbing away against a firm surface (like dry ground or an artificial pitch) especially on the toe area, where I drag it along the ground when stopping, turning and striking. So having the firmer synthetic material in the way completely removes this issue.

Despite these marked improvements I can’t help but feel there’s a little bit too much going on the v1.10 for its own good.

The 2 uppers, heel counter, sole plate, rubber ‘seams’ and huge plastic PUMA stripe are all held in place by a Herculean amount of stitching. Looking at the boot there are double and triple-seams running all over the place! This in truth probably means they’re going to be able to take a lot of grief - a bit like covering a jigsaw in duct tape - but compared to the elegance of boots like the Zhero Gravity Tre and Mercurial Vapor you’ve got to wonder if there was a better solution.

Feel

Once again, PUMA’s latest is proving a divisive boot, with a multitude of contrasts all over the upper.

Thankfully I think PUMA have struck a decent balance. The micro-fibre canvas is a lot more cushioned and giving than the laminate synthetic, making a it a great choice to line the instep. This area hugs the arches of your feet nicely giving you a great area to receive passes and control the ball mid bounce – and despite it not being a priority it’s also a pretty good area to distribute from.

The most noticeable change from the v1 series previous incarnations is the inclusion of a lace cover, which is pretty much as expected. The surface on the front of the boot is absolutely huge when compared to some other boots, and there’s a slight curve that hugs the top of your foot for a nice clean striking area. Similarly,  the reduced width in the toe area gives a feeling of being much closer to the ball when skimming passes with the outside of the foot.

One complaint is the near-frictionless nature of that part of the upper. As the F50 line grew from the first TUNiT to the F50.9, adidas toiled away at improving the grip of the upper – and I think PUMA could have learnt from this. It would’ve been nice to see a more adhesive coating on the upper in the style of Nomis’ WetControl to help with controlling balls coming in from high, as the triangle pattern on this model isn’t quite up to scratch.

One indesputable factor on the PUMA v1.10 is the FG sole plate. Once again the carbon fibre shank makes a welcome return - as does the nearly unchanged stud configuration. Thankfully the rear blades have been shortened a little, which gives a more even feel when stood on flat ground.

Conclusion

The v1.10 is a boot designed with the fleet-footed attacker in mind. Others need not apply.

Normally I’d like to recommend boots for certain positions and types of player, but the v1.10 is very specialized to the sorts of winger and striker that looks burn the defender and get it past the keeper.

The good news for fans of the v1 series is there’s plenty to love here. There’s a mass of features ticking away under the skin of these boots that all work well - and PUMA have done a great job of refining the fit for this year’s model.

And for everyone else, if you can look past some (very) perplexing design decisions there’s a boot with a lot to offer. It’s like having some of the classy features of a new BMW and putting them in the chassis of a Ford Focus. A bright yellow one. Covered in stitching.

However, you might want to look it at like going to see Amy Winehouse in concert. Get past the look and you’ll love the performance.

There have been some highly visible boot launches of late. PUMA brought out the v1.10 closely followed by the introduction of Nike’s CTR360.

Nike CTR360 Maestri

The Superfly and Vapor V have new colourways and on the horizon we have the eagerly anticipated reveal of the adidas Predator X, a new colourway for the Speciali plus new football boots from Mizuno and Reebok.

And, with the World Cup just around the corner, the flurry of new football boot activity will only get greater as the kick off in South Africa gets ever nearer.

Despite the current economic situation, it seems that the football boot market has escaped the down turn which has been great for us and probably not too bad for you!

But it got us thinking. Even with such a healthy, ever expanding product range to choose from, which football boots remain out there, doing a job from times past?

Naturally, the adidas World Cup and Copa Mundial still have a part to play.

Indeed, Belgium’s Emile Mpenza was twice on target in the Copa’s against Turkey recently. And let’s not forget that Argentina’s Mario Bolatti was wearing the adiPure I when he sneaked home that late goal for Diego Maradona’s side against Uruguay on Wednesday. Additionally, we are not too far away from a retail sales date for the Tiempo ‘94.

adidas adiPure I

But what other ‘old style’ football boots are still getting some serious wear time? That’s where you come in.

We’d like to know which players have bucked the trend of wearing the very latest models, colourways and designs in favour of something that would look more at home in a football version of the Antiques Roadshow.

Find anyone still wearing these and we’ll give you a prize!

Lets us know who you’ve spotted playing in ‘bygone boots’ by posting a comment below. It doesn’t matter if they are internationals, top league players or even lower league players that we might not be too familiar with. And if you’ve got a picture of them, even better.

We’ll keep an eye on your comments as they come in to see if there’s a clear favourite or if the choices are relatively random.

With Wayne Rooney out injured, England are expected to play Gabriel Agbonlahor and Peter Crouch up front in their final World Cup qualifier against Belarus at Wembley.

Rooney, who has enjoyed fantastic success for the national team in the Nike Total 90 Laser II, has a calf injury which means the Aston Villa and Spurs strikers have a chance to shine, as do Nike and PUMA.

Agbonlahor has made only two starts for England so will be eager to grab his chance wearing the highly visible Vapor Superfly. Crouch meanwhile has a decent scoring record while representing the 3 Lions in the PUMA v1.08.

Speaking ahead of the match, England coach Fabio Capello said:

We need to play other styles, style A, B, C. I want to see some players in different positions.

Sometimes, during the friendly games, we’ve changed it. But we need to practise other styles. I want to see some players in different positions.

When I decide the squad, I decide always different styles that I can play with it with the players who will be with me. Why wouldn’t they have that capacity?

Meanwhile, in the pick of today’s other games, it’s crunch time in South America with Argentina desperately looking to qualify automatically for South Africa next year.

The Argentine’s have endured a poor run under Diego Maradona but got back on track with a last gasp win over Peru last time out.

But it won’t get any easier for them tonight with an away game to Uruguay. The home team has lost just once in front of their own fans recently and will be confident of recording a win which will take them through.

In what is the oldest South American derby, the first game between the two sides took place in 1901 (and many believe that it was the first international to take place outside of the British Isles), it could come down to one piece of magic.

For Argentina, this could just be the stage for Lionel Messi in his personalised F50i’s. The Barcelona player, like many of his international team mates, just hasn’t been able to deliver consistently for the national team under Maradona but, as the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent.

As for Uruguay, nothing would please them more than getting one over on their age-old rivals. And in Diego Forlan, they have a proven goalscorer who has already netted 7 times in qualification thus far. Interestingly, it’s a win-win situation for adidas as Forlan also wears the F50i, though he prefers the White / Black / Red colourway.

It’s going to be some game in Montevideo and Forlan knows it saying:

It’s not nice having to play the decisive game against Argentina. It’s where my girlfriend and many of my friends are from, and I had a great time there as a player. But that’s just how things have turned out and we need to win. It’ll be tough but all we’re thinking about is reaching South Africa.

The PUMA King is a boot steeped in heritage. A boot that’s entrenched in World Cup history and that has graced the feet of titans of the game, like Pele, Maradona and Eusebio (as pictured below).

It is now tragically under-represented among top flight footballers. So has this decline in popularity come about because of a reduction in quality? No way!

Comfort/Fit

The Puma King XL is, without exception, the most comfortable boot that PUMA have in their current range. Looking at the boot you can see how well they leather’s been treated; it’s pulled taught at the stitches and is unbelievably soft in the panels around the foot of the boot.

A feature that I feel is worthy of note is the way PUMA has integrated the heel counter into the boot. Obviously dedicated to the understated and ‘clean’ look of the boot – but at the same time realising that a heel counter adds to comfort and safety – the counter is almost seamlessly hidden by texturing and colouring the plastic to look and feel like leather.

In terms of fit, the boot has a more narrow fit than other classically-styled boots available at the moment, fitting more like the first adipure. That said – the King retains the full-length centred lacing that has since left the adipure line, so unless your feet are really wide, you’ll be able to loosen the boot to accommodate.

Durability

The King XL has all the durability you’d expect from a classic leather boot. Whilst not as tank-like as its stable-mate the v-Konstrukt III, its all leather-upper will almost certainly take all the knocks you can throw at it.

Thanks to the onset of the British winter, I’ve had the opportunity to give the King’s a run out in some pretty damp conditions over the last two weeks; so I can also vouch for the boots holding up in the wet. The soleplate is integrated well into the rest of the boot, and there’s no ventilation of any sort, making them a solid choice for the winter.

Feel

As I mentioned before, the King XL’s upper has obviously been crafted with a lot of time and care from the team at PUMA. The leather is so supple you can see the creases in the panels even when the boot is not being worn. So as you can probably imagine, in terms of first touch and passing it’s up there with the best.

One design feature that’s a little odd is the leather panel that runs from the toe up to the lace eyelets. Presumably there to add durability to this often stood on area of the foot – it gives the boot a flat surface on the top, going against the very supple, rounded feel that the rest of the boot has.

This feature is something of a double edged sword; on one hand the flatter surface on the top is something that is lacking from the likes of the Tiempo Legend and adipure lines, and in my opinion gives the boot a nice big area for hitting volleys and controlling the ball.

On the other, whereas many other classic boots are rounded and hug the shape of the foot, the King XL loses that natural feel when hitting the ball with the laces.

Conclusion

The Puma King is an icon among boot lovers and designers, and after playing in these it’s easy to see why. It, like the Copa Mundial, takes many of its design features from a time before gimmicks and designing boots for particular positions. As such, it’s a boot that’s at home anywhere on the park, especially the midfield. The soft upper is great for a natural touch on the ball, whether receiving, running with or passing.

If you’re after any technological advances, the King XL was never going to be the boot for you. The Velcro tongue is probably the most ‘modern’ feature on the whole boot! It’s about putting an emphasis on getting the basics right before innovation.

My one criticism is the area around the laces being flat. It’s obviously a key area for strikers when shooting and defenders when clearing the ball, which is why I’m sticking with my recommendation for midfielders – but then, the team at Concave would argue that a large flat area on top if the boot is exactly what you need for great contact with the ball.

So depending on what your view on this debate is; this could well influence how much you feel that this could be the boot for you.

Fancy a pair of the PUMA King XL’s? You can order them here.

Nicolas Anelka debuted the new PUMA v1.10 football boot in the UK on Saturday although it wasn’t an occasion to remember for the Frenchman as his Chelsea side lost their unbeaten record as they succumbed 3 – 1 defeat at Wigan Athletic.

Anelka, who was the Premier League’s top scorer last season wearing the v1.08, saw his side go behind to a goal from Titus Bramble before his striking partner Didier Drogba grabbed his 100th Chelsea goal to bring the Londoners level.

But any chance of a continued assault on the home team disappeared seven minutes into the second half when goalkeeper Petr Cech was dismissed for a foul on Hugo Rodallega who converted the resultant penalty with Paul Scharner completing the scoring in stoppage-time.

There was better news for another PUMA v1.10 debutant, Blackburn’s El-Hadji Diouf. His team also went down to 10 men but were good enough to see off Aston Villa 2 – 1 with David Dunn scoring the winner a minute from time.

Outside of the EPL, fans hoping to see Samuel Eto’o in the new PUMA boot were disappointed as the Cameroon international stuck with his Team Gold / Black v1.08’s as Inter lost 1 – 0 to Sampdoria in Serie A.

Over in Germany, Mohamed Zidan and Nelson Valdez gave the boot a try out as Dortmund went down to FC Schalke, though by a crumb of comfort, the new v1.10 worked really well with the mainly yellow Dortmund kit.  And in the USA, fans at the New England Revolution v Seattle Sounders game saw the boot for the first time as worn by the Revolution’s Kenny Mansally.

And there was even an international bow for the v1.10 in the Fifa Under 20 World Cup matches played at the weekend with Young Gwon Kim  and Kim Bo Kyung of South Korea using the boot in their game against Cameroon.

If you were asked to name the most successful football boot of the 2008 / 2009 season, the PUMA v1.08 would be right up there.

Nicolas Anelka wore it whilst becoming the Premier League’s leading scorer whilst on the Continent, the football boot received brilliant coverage through the exploits of Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. The striker, now at Inter, was even wearing it when he scored the first goal in the Champions League final against Manchester United.

Today, PUMA launches its latest speed football boot range, the v1.10.

As the successor to the v1.08, we’d been hoping that some of the early images that started floating around cyber-space at the start of the year were wide of the mark. Sadly, they weren’t. Having received two pairs of the new football boots, we can report that the v1.10’s are something of a let down.

No doubt other reviews will be more flattering, but at Footy Boots, we don’t answer to any retailers so therefore, we are at liberty to give it to you as we see it. So buckle up…this is going to be a rough ride.

First off, compared to its predecessor, the v1.08, the football boot isn’t overly attractive.

Whilst retaining some of the basic shape and measurements, the flowing lines that were achieved by the v1.08 seem to have been thrown out in favour of a more clumpy, thick set sort of look. Put these new football boots next to the Gold / Black v1.08’s and they look like a hurriedly discarded prototype rather than the finished article. We always thought that the v1.08 (and the elegant v1.815 Ferrari) had the look of a boot that could have been created by Vincent van Gogh. By comparison, the v1.10 design is more reminiscent of Dick van Dyke.

The colourways also leave a lot to be desired. Whilst the Red / Black / White is OK, the Blazing Yellow / Red screams out ‘notice me, please notice me’ like a long forgotten supermodel trying to attract the attention of a Hello magazine photographer at a Z list party.

PUMA should look at the way that Nike used the Voltage Yellow colourway in the Superfly or Vapor V. They have a look of superiority and subtlety about them. The v1.10 is about as subtle as a roast beef sarny at a vegetarians tea-party. And with the web styling within the PUMA flash combined with the bright yellow, it’s all a bit Bananaman meets Spiderman.

As one of our boot testers pointed out, while the yellow colourway may well appeal to a number of African nations (which is where PUMA are obviously aiming the football boot) it reminded him of the arches of McDonald’s. McDisaster!

Additionally, we are not sure about the lace cover. Whilst appreciating that they are almost ‘de rigueur’ these days, it’s disappointing that PUMA didn’t buck the trend and stay with the uncovered off centered lacing.

Such was the success of the v1.08 that we think PUMA could be taking one all-mighty risk here by including it now. Let’s hope for their sake that the likes of Eto’o and Anelka are well tied in to a contract to use them. If not, PUMA could always approach Jin-Hyung Song who wore the v1.10’s while playing for Newcastle Jets versus Sydney FC in round 7 of the A league last weekend.

One last gripe - it’s a shame to see they haven’t changed the toe end of the football boot back to the more ‘classic’ shape of the v1.06 as we know that some users have found the v1.08 range a little uncomfortable, particularly those who have second toes longer than their big toes.

There are positives – it’s extremely lightweight. Fantastically so in fact. It also features an advancement of PUMA’s revolutionary UNI technology in which the upper is stitched – not glued or lasted – to the sole.

And like all PUMA products, it’s well put together with extra support in the heel, a new one-piece outsole design which offers some serious traction and a carbon fibre inner chassis which gives the boot good support and strength.

Finally, the upper of the football boot is made from lightweight microfibre and synthetic leather which is thin, abrasion resistant and is reinforced on key pressure points.

It might yet grow on us, but all in all, the PUMA v1.10 reminds us of a clever but underachieving 13 year old at college. The kind of pupil who comes home all too regularly bearing a note from his / her teacher saying ‘could do better’.  Sorry PUMA, extra lessons most definitely required.

Retail sale: 10th October

UK sizes: 6 – 11

Price: Between £100 and £120

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With the release of the PUMA v1.10 now imminent, we thought it only right to preface the reveal of the new PUMA boots by finding out what you thought of its predecessor, the v1.08, and which version has proved to be your favourite over the last 18 months or so.

The boot has certainly been to the fore recently. Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka wore them in becoming the Premier League’s top scorer in 2008 / 2009 and Samuel Eto’o didn’t do the brand any harm when he scored the first goal for Barcelona against Manchester United wearing the Black / Team Gold colourway in last season’s Champions League final.

Even as recently as last night, the v1.08 was still producing the goods with Peter Crouch, also wearing the boot in Black / Team Gold, scoring a hat trick as Spurs thumped Preston 5 – 1 in the Carling Cup.

We’ve selected our own top six from which you can vote for your own particular favourite.

Team Royal / Silver / Yellow / Red

The loudest pair that PUMA came out with which were debuted in January of 2009. Unmissable on the pitch.

Pink

Nike had the Pink Vapor and PUMA responded with the Pink v1.08. The boot was supported by an excellent advertising viral which featured a beautiful model in her underwear. Good enough for us!

Camo

The boot used to such good effect for much of last season by Nicolas Anelka.  Could have been designed however for another PUMA user David Bentley who seems to have disappeared of late.

Black / Team Gold

The Champions League final isn’t a bad place to debut a pair of boots. And scoring in them wasn’t the worst idea either. Rightly, a favourite choice of Samuel Eto’o.

Red / White K-leather

The third K-leather version of the v1.08 which only cost £10 more than the synthetic model. Classic, simple and great value for money.

Ferrari

The brilliant v1.815 Ferrari came out in March this year to coincide with the start of the F1 season. Only 815 of these limited edition boots were made. At a selling price of £250, it was probably only Grand Prix drivers who could afford them.

So they are our top six – let us know which version you preferred by voting below and leave us a comment as to what prompted your choice.

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Time to improve

If you ever wanted an example of how difficult it is to break in to the highest echelon of English football, there was a prime example for all to see on Sunday at Old Trafford. Manchester United finally secured all 3 points against a very impressive and resilient Manchester City side with a goal in the 6th minute of injury time. This despite the fact that the fourth official had originally indicated just 4 minutes of additional time.

The referee explained that he added yet more time to take in to account Manchester City’s 3rd goal celebration. This in itself should only have been about 45 seconds, rather than the near 2 minutes that he played. And, if he added on the time for City’s goal celebration, how come the final whistle went a mere 16 seconds after Michael Owen’s winner as United’s players sure spent longer than that dancing about the pitch in jubilation? Even worse was the sight of SAF then laughing and joking with the fourth official right in front of a clearly unhappy Mark Hughes. As was brilliantly put on one of the football message boards yesterday, there’s ‘normal time’, ‘added time’ and ‘Big Four time’.

It’s all about giving

According to weekend newspaper reports, even before the recent game at Eastlands, Arsenal’s players were a bit miffed with Emmanuel Adebayor when he turned up for the final game of last season with a black bin bag and hoovered up all the football boots and kit of his team mates. His spokesman explained that this was a regular occurrence as Adebayor often sends old and discarded products to deserving causes in Togo. So, it was a bit surprising to see him giving back some brand new footwear to Robin van Persie’s face. He obviously just can help being that generous.

Real in the red

Following the purchases of Kaka, Benzema, Ronaldo et all, Real Madrid have revealed that they are now £296 million in debt. Added to that, they have announced a budget for the coming season of £381 million. It’s just as bad at Barcelona who have announced record debt levels of £361 million.

At last year’s Real Madrid general assembly, the club had outlined similar plans for a £70m reduction in debt. Well clearly that hasn’t happened. So, with Uefa plans in place to ban clubs living beyond their means from European competition from 2012 / 13 and with the world still in economic flux, here’s betting that neither Spanish giants will meet the new qualification standards in two and half years time. Here’s also betting that Uefa will bend their own rules to let them in.

Goodbye to the v1.08

If you are a fan of the PUMA v1.08 football boot, then make sure you follow your favourite big name players in the Carling Cup in midweek as it’s possibly the last time they’ll wear the boot in action. The v1.08 is will be superseded by the v1.10 which launches later this week.

Following the tremendous success enjoyed by the likes of v1.08 wearers Anelka and Eto’o last season, I do hope that PUMA’s designers have got the new boot right. It is radically different and by adding a lace cover, PUMA are taking a massive risk that their branded players will take to the new technology. It does smack a bit of ‘if it ain’t broke, let’s fix it anyway’!

For those who aren’t completely immersed in the world of football boots, it may shock you to know that two of the leading global brands, PUMA and adidas hail from the same German town. Indeed, they even trace their origins back to the same family of cobblers.

But for the last 60 odd years, relations between the two have been anything but family-like.

Back in the 1940’s, there was a huge bust up between the two Dassler brothers, Adi and Rudi, as they used an air-raid shelter. During a Second World War Allied bomb attack, Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudi and his family were already in. “The dirty b******s are back again,” Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied warplanes. Rudi was convinced that his brother meant him and his family. That was that.

Adi Dassler (as pictured on our home page) was an athlete in his own right

Their original company, which made the spikes worn by the great Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics, was split in to two and have gone on to the huge successes that we know today. Despite this, the Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, population 12,500, remains split. Indeed, it is known as the ‘place of bent necks’ such is the tradition to check out everyone else’s footwear where the staff employed by each company live separate lives. Forget Celtic v Rangers, Barca v Madrid or United v City – this has been without doubt, one of the most ferocious and bitter rivalries within sport.

An early PUMA boot with screw-in studs

However, all that could be about to change. A peace initiative has been launched with the present day bosses of both companies agreeing to publicly shake hands in a display of reconciliation. Further, following this symbolic gesture, due to take place on 21st September, workers from the two firms are to play a game of football together.

The idea is the brainchild of English actor and film-maker Jeremy Gilley. He already had a working relationship with PUMA through the ‘One Day One Goal‘ football campaign that aims to instigate matches in all member states of the United Nations, also on 21st September. Last year, there were matches played in 180 countries. This year, Gilley is aiming for all 192 UN members and beyond.

Jeremy Gilley is the founder and chairman of Peace One Day

The director has certainly worked his magic in Herzogenaurach as after Monday’s historic football match, employees of both companies will sit down together and watch Gilley’s 2008 film ‘The Day after Peace’.

Chief executive of adidas Herbert Hainer said he was proud to be taking part in the project and added:

We firmly believe that sport can bring the world together. Sport has shown this at countless occasions in the past and we are committed to the positive values found in sport: performance and passion, teamwork and fair play.

His thoughts were echoed by Jochen Zeitz, chairman and CEO of PUMA who said:

We are uniting on this day as a commitment to Peace day. Our common goal  being that  our collaboration will help create awareness for the day. Kofi Anan once said that ‘individuals can make a difference and collectively we can make a major contribution’. I believe that is the case also for companies.

Today PUMA operates in 120 countries and employs more than 9,000 people worldwide. In football terms, they have produced one of most iconic boots of all time, the PUMA King XL and last season saw the stock of the v1.08 climb to an all-time high. Their newest boot, the v1.10 is due out on 26th September.

The adidas group, producer of the ground breaking Predator boot, has more than 38,000 employees and generated sales of €10.8bn in 2008. Amongst their ambassadors are the likes of Michael Ballack, Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi. Their latest creation is the adidas F50i.

Looking out the window, many players will notice that winter’s coming up a bit quicker than we’d all like it to.

So, if you’re an optimist like me and like to think about football as a game that’s best played on a field that looks more like a snooker table than a pitch, with glorious sun in the sky then you’ve probably gone and bought some firm ground football boots.

Odds are, then, you’ll turn up to a match one soggy weekend morning and realise that those FG’s aren’t gonna cut it until the ground dries up a bit. So you’re going to look at something with more traditional studs, but you don’t want to spend another 3-figure-sum on these as well.

So many players opt for ‘entry-level’ versions of popular football boots - things like the T90 Shoot, the Predator Absolado or in this case - the PUMA v-Kon III.

Comfort/Fit

The v- Kon III’s are cleverly designed in the ‘fit’ area. Boasting a wide forefoot that leaves plenty of room for the toes and instep - which then narrows into a heel that’s held ridged by a fairly hefty heel counter - not entirely dissimilar to the design of Under Armour Dominate Pro’s. This all seems to be aided by the laces stopping much higher up the football boot than many other cleats, which could be handy if you have wide feet. So as I warned with the UA’s, consider trying on a pair before buying, as these boots were never designed to have a ‘glove-like’ fit.

One of the most immediate things I noticed when sprinting in the v-Kon’s was the stiffness of the leather that covers the upper of most of the boot  (credit to PUMA for using leather on an entry level boot, by the way). The Upper seems to have been coated in a process similar to laminating - which makes it somewhat unforgiving on the first few wears causing a bit of rubbing with the socks.

After an initial ‘breaking-in’ period I felt the v-Kon’s became a much better football boot, with the treated leather eventually bending with the padded ’strike zone’ (the ‘quilted’ looking area above the toes) which cleverly makes the leather bend where it needs to, but at the same time keeps it stern and waterproof in areas that other than the toes, adding protection.

So be warned, don’t buy these football boots on Saturday and think you can play in them on Sunday.

Durability

I certainly had a few reservations about the durability, especially the heel counter, simply because it’s one of the main features that doesn’t carry across from the fully-fledged v-Konstruckt III, but aside from not looking as good, I believe it does a fantastic job.

Looking at the boot from above you’ll notice the ‘finger-like’ protrusions on the counter actually form an ‘C’ shape that concentrates on keeping the heel of the foot safe and going some way to prevent your foot ‘rolling’ and twisting an ankle.

As mentioned before, the treated leather on the upper keeps the boot tough; Puma have obviously opted to have the leather stop on the upper toe and instep area in order to give the boot a broader scope of function. By this I mean by calling an area on the boot a ’strike zone’ it prevents the boot being pigeon-holed as a defenders football boot.

Besides that, I think these boots are fantastically low-maintenance and one of the few football boots I can safely say are ‘built to last’.

Feel

One thing that the v-Kon’s share in common with their big brother is PUMA’s ‘Duo Flex’ technology. This interesting design feature flexes with the toes as they bend when you’re running but ‘locks’ when any downward pressure is applied.

This feature is massively useful in a variety of situations - when going to ground with an attacker, as long as your foot’s in the right place on the ball, the opponent’s going to feel like he’s dribbled into a brick wall. Coupled with the wide fit and padded strike zone the Duo Flex can really enhance control of a ball coming in from height.

However, the v-Kon’s aren’t really a slick-trickster football boot. Their tank-like qualities are great for any situation that involves putting your foot through it (clearances, volleys, cross-field balls) but you won’t see players like Ronaldo and Ribery wearing them anytime soon.

Conclusion

The v-Kon III’s are an interesting boot. Despite PUMA’s best efforts to make them more appealing to other positions, they’re clearly designed with the modern centre-back in mind; putting protection at the forefront of their agenda.

And do they do this successfully? Undoubtedly so - if at the expense of a little comfort.

The other interesting thing about testing an entry level boot is that they weren’t designed to be perfect, they’re designed to offer value for money.

Again do they do this? At 35 quid - nearly a third of the price of the v-Konstrukt III - again I’d have to say they do.

Despite a few gripes with the boot, if you’re a stonewall defender or goalkeeper looking for a football boot that’ll keep your feet safe and dry for the winter you’ll be hard pressed to find some that do the job for a better price. However, attacking midfielders and marauding wing backs might be left frustrated at the football boot’s compromise of ‘give’ in the upper for protection.

And, as long as you break them in properly, that’s pretty much the only thing you’ll have to do for them.